# Plume or Mold....please help.



## pedrolf (Oct 25, 2005)

I have a bunch of these coronados sitting in my humidor for like 6 years straight at 65% RH constantly. These have the cello wrap, and when i saw this one (like many others) covered in this very very small fuzz I didnt know as to be thrilled my cigars are aging awesomely , OR its mol and I should watch out! Please can you guys help me out.
thanks, 
Pedro F.


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## Ricardo- (Feb 26, 2014)

Looks like plume to me....lots of it.


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## Tgs679 (Mar 2, 2014)

Looks like a lot of plume. Does it brush of easily?


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Hard to tell from the pics. It does look a little fuzzy fuzz always equals Mold. Plume looks like crystals and wipes off easy.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

To be honest it looks like you have both.


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## elricfate (Mar 2, 2013)

Without brushing it with my hand it's hard to tell but it looks like plume.


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## KcJason1 (Oct 20, 2010)

? Does it sparkle in the light? Plume is 0il crystals..

Also something that concernes me is you say its fuzzy... Fuzzy equals mold...


Is it fuzzy or does it sparkle?

Grab a magnifying glass!


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## Erphern (Jan 28, 2014)




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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

erphern said:


>


for the win!!!


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## TJB (Dec 10, 2012)

looks like plume. Mold is more spotty. A nice distribution of powdery crystals usually is plume. I'd try to wipe some off and see like mentioned above. But if it was that much mold with cellophane on there would also be mold on the foot as well. If there is no mold on the foot of these cigars I say plume for sure.


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## Laynard (Oct 10, 2013)

The fact you said "fuzzy" and it appears to be on the foot in pic 2 makes me think mold. Maybe a bit of both?


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## Engineer99 (Aug 4, 2011)

Looks like plume to me...I don't see any spots, discoloration, or hairiness.


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## Cigar-Enthusiast (Feb 2, 2014)

To me it looks like mold.


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## Drez_ (Jan 30, 2014)

Mold generally isn't so uniform in its appearance and coverage. It's spotty, and if it were covering that much of the cigar I would think by that amount of growth it would be much thicker, almost to the point of not seeing the wrapper at all. It also seems to have a nice sheen to it reflecting the light. Don't think mold would do that, either.


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

Looks like plume to me, but I've only seen pics of plume. It's supposed to be a little shiny. I have seen mold on a cigar and it looks just like mold on anything else. Fury and in clustered in colonies or "blobs". Just like what you saw in a Petri dish in your Jr. High science class or on cheese.


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## jp1979 (Sep 12, 2013)

It looks like there are a few greenish clusters in the 6th picture, could be the picture, could be my eyes, I'm no expert on plume or mold. Smoke it and see.


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## AuTechCoM (Jan 13, 2014)

Erphern said:


>


Thanks now I have to wipe the soda I was drinking off of my monitor...


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## Senor_Perfecto (Apr 2, 2014)

It's mold. PM me for my addy to dispose of those moldy cigars for you.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

All of these pictures are Mold


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Left alone it becomes this.


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## Laynard (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm starting to think plume is a myth.


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> All of these pictures are Mold





TonyBrooklyn said:


> Left alone it becomes this.


Great info Tony! So, some mold is evenly spread across the cigar and whispy. Good to know!



Laynard said:


> I'm starting to think plume is a myth.


Me too.


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## Bernardini (Nov 14, 2013)

Erphern said:


>


This is classic. Might need to be your avatar!


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## B-daddy (Oct 29, 2012)

Plold.... or coke.


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## Erphern (Jan 28, 2014)

Bernardini said:


> This is classic. Might need to be your avatar!


 Done!!


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## TJB (Dec 10, 2012)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> Left alone it becomes this.


Thanks for these pics, I see that it really comes down to fuzziness. Doesn't even matter if its evenly distributed. I guess it really is never plume .


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## pedrolf (Oct 25, 2005)

hey guys, 
thanks for all your responses, yes it did wipe off very easily when i passed my hand on it, the cigar doesnt have anymore of it, as I do know that wiping off mold is tougher. Thanks TonyBrooklyn for your pics, the opuses are REALLY covered with mold, it actually looked like beard, and the one on my cigar didnt, so mold takes on several forms LOL..... @KcJason1 , the magnifying glass was a genius tip, it did shine a little bit when i flashed my flashlight on the cigar, and it wasnt very moldy-looking like TBrooklyns photos, it seemed to be white dust sorta.

Thanks again u guys.

Pedro F.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Laynard said:


> I'm starting to think plume is a myth.





smknjoecool said:


> Great info Tony! So, some mold is evenly spread across the cigar and whispy. Good to know!
> 
> Me too.





TJB said:


> Thanks for these pics, I see that it really comes down to fuzziness. Doesn't even matter if its evenly distributed. I guess it really is never plume .


Yes it is a very rare occurrence Plume or Bloom as it is called. Only seen it a handful of times in nearly 35 years of cigar smoking. I have seen mold hundreds of time in that same 35 years.


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## retiredpol (Jan 10, 2014)

What does it smell like, mold or ammonia.


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## pedrolf (Oct 25, 2005)

@reitredpol it smells like regular tobacco, no moldy smells at all, however I did get amonia sorta when I smoked it, at the last third; which I thought was a little wierd cuz it's a 7 year cigar , there shouldn't be ANY ammonia at all, or at least a veery slight amount. Right ?????


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## Pj201 (Apr 27, 2013)

My general rule is if it's white, brush and burn. If it's green or black, send back.
:gossip:


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## Erphern (Jan 28, 2014)

Pj201 said:


> My general rule is if it's white, brush and burn. If it's green or black, send back.
> :gossip:


*Penicillium mold (penicillin)*


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## Pj201 (Apr 27, 2013)

Erphern said:


> *Penicillium mold (penicillin)*


Um, that would be on a cigar, not orange! The white molds on tobacco are quite harmless and natural on leaf. 
:biggrin:


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## Erphern (Jan 28, 2014)

Pj201 said:


> Um, that would be on a cigar, not orange!


Well, that explains why it's been taking me so long to toast the foot!


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

I don't know if I would go as far to say that moldy cigars are harmless regardless of the color. Of course it's natural, all mold is. Smoking moldy plant material (tobacco or other ) can cause serious respiratory distress. Just because you have done it and have not experienced any negative consequences doesn't mean that it's safe. One reason why you may not have experienced any problems doing so is because most people don't inhale cigar smoke deep into the lungs like they do with other types of smoke.


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## Pj201 (Apr 27, 2013)

smknjoecool said:


> I don't know if I would go as far to say that moldy cigars are harmless regardless of the color. Of course it's natural, all mold is. Smoking moldy plant material (tobacco or other ) can cause serious respiratory distress. Just because you have done it and have not experienced any negative consequences doesn't mean that it's safe. One reason why you may not have experienced any problems doing so is because most people don't inhale cigar smoke deep into the lungs like they do with other types of smoke.[/QUOTE
> There are thousands of molds. Some are beneficial, some bad. If you eat cheeses you eat molds. Aged beef joe is covered in molds. It's scraped off and cooked. Fermented sausage ditto. I been around cigar tobacco my whole life. White mold grows on it fast. When you rehydrate leaf, a lot of times it will grow. Brush it off, and burn. Know your topic before you call out someone please.
> :bitchslap:
> My grandfather and best friend was a rep for Massey- Harris tractors in the Connecticut valley where the tobacco farmers were his clients. He also smoked, and rolled his own. I have a good basic knowledge at least of leaf, how it's grown, cured, rolled, and such. White molds can form on leaf overnite. By natural joe I mean the spores are common and natural on the leaf.


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## Pj201 (Apr 27, 2013)

Erphern said:


> Well, that explains why it's been taking me so long to toast the foot!


Very funny!
:lol:


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

Just because a mold may be okay to eat does not mean that it's safe to smoke. Your lungs are a perfect breeding ground for mold - warm and moist. I'm not a doctor but my father was and he treated several patients over the years that had smoked moldy plant material (tobacco and marijuana.) It can cause serious problems. I'm not here to argue at all, but I think it's a bad idea to tell people that it's perfectly safe to smoke moldy cigars when they aren't even sure what the exact mold is or how potentially harmful it may be.


Ask your doctor if it's safe to smoke mold and if there is a difference between eating and smoking mold. There is a big difference between the two methods of consuming mold and how your body handles it.


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## cigarcollector (Jul 27, 2016)

*plume or mold??*

Hi guys, first post here but can anyone tell me if this is plume or mold? this and another 20 like it have been sitting with a 72% boveda for several months and I just noticed this develop over the past few weeks


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

cigarcollector said:


> Hi guys, first post here but can anyone tell me if this is plume or mold? this and another 20 like it have been sitting with a 72% boveda for several months and I just noticed this develop over the past few weeks


That is mold. Just wipe it off.


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## cigarcollector (Jul 27, 2016)

After wiping the entire batch, what can I do to prevent the mold from coming back? It doesn't look like the mold penetrated inside the cigars, its just sitting on the top. Will freezing help?


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## JLee73 (Mar 21, 2016)

Not an expert but it looks like mold to me. 

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## JLee73 (Mar 21, 2016)

The only way I know to reduce mold is lower the moisture in your humidor. Maybe go to 65% Boveda. If wrong someone will come behind me abs correct me.

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## TCstr8 (Mar 30, 2016)

<Noob Status Opinion> I would double bag them in good Ziploc bags (removing as much air as possible), fridge for 24 hours, freezer for 3-4 days, fridge for 24 hours, room temp for 24 hours, then segregate them in a tupperdor/humidor for a month or so.

Most folks here stick with 65% bovedas, my understanding is the higher rH can be a contributing factor for mold along with temp.

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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

cigarcollector said:


> After wiping the entire batch, what can I do to prevent the mold from coming back? It doesn't look like the mold penetrated inside the cigars, its just sitting on the top. Will freezing help?


Keep them separate from any other cigars. Clean the container with pure grain alcohol (everclear). Make sure they are all wiped down and smoke them at your pleasure.


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## cigarcollector (Jul 27, 2016)

Cool thank you for the help guys


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## Grey Goose (May 24, 2016)

Just wipe them off with a little DW, and let them dry thoroughly, keep them isolated from your other sticks....

...oh, then by all means smoke and enjoy them!

EDIT: 
_(Just saw @*bpegler*'s recommendation to wipe the box down with alcohol, and he may be perfectly right in that, he is very knowledgeable, but I would however not necessarily do that personally, just use DW IMO, alcohol and even bleach etc does not kill off mold, and there is the chance that any residual odor in that sealed environment might be sucked up and infused slightly in your cigars.
Just use DW, keep the RH and temp right going forward, and keep an eye on them.)_

Oh, and did I say smoke and enjoy them!


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Like the previous posts said wipe em down, clean your tupperdor, and please at least consider dropping your rh to 65%.....good luck

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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

Fwiw, pure alcohol will kill mold. It evaporates so quickly that it doesn't leave an odor. Works for Tupperware and coolers, but I don't recommend it for wood. Of course, ymmv.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Grey Goose said:


> Just wipe them off with a little DW, and let them dry thoroughly, keep them isolated from your other sticks....
> 
> ...oh, then by all means smoke and enjoy them!
> 
> ...


How about a combo. .little alcohol wipe down, then dw and baking soda. I know very little about tupperdors ,but just throwing that out there. .been reading a bunch about them because I'm getting a little full. Not quite thanksgiving kinda full, but close.

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## GrandLotus (Jul 26, 2016)

Appears to be a combination of plume with a slight hint of mold.

65% humidity will help with any mold and make sure you brush off the cigar.


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